What was something you did while deployed that made it feel kind of normal?

2016-12-14T02:01:46-05:00

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 2:04 AM

2016-12-14T02:04:20-05:00

Mine was I made friends with one of the cooks at the dfac at Bagram. She let us combine a grilled cheese and a burger and would grill onions on the grill from the salad bar even though she wasn't supposed to. It actually made a half-way decent patty melt. That and chug Rip-its by the case was about all I remember. What is in those things, and do I have cancer from drinking a few thousand while deployed?

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 2:20 AM

2016-12-14T02:20:04-05:00

I met up with my sister for lunch in Taji, Iraq in 2004.

Response by Maj John Bell made Dec 14 at 2016 4:37 AM

2016-12-14T04:37:14-05:00

While stationed at Camp Hansen in Okinawa I found a goat farm north of Kinville. I grew up on a farm, with goats. I struck up a conversation with the farmer and next thing you know on Saturdays and Sundays when we were on island I was an unpaid farm hand. I was treated like a member of the family.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 5:18 AM

2016-12-14T05:18:28-05:00

Was able to work out at the gym, get rid of my frustrations and took it out on the weights instead of the shitty leadership that I had.

Response by CW3(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 6:13 AM

2016-12-14T06:13:28-05:00

I was kind of a gym rat before i joined the army so i was able to work out everyday got back in shape but it was too hot to play b-ball everyday in Iraq.

Response by CSM Chuck Stafford made Dec 14 at 2016 7:41 AM

2016-12-14T07:41:41-05:00

The old mantras -- "Where's your PT belt?" and since there was no grass -- "Get off my rocks!"
I jest, I jest.
Maintain a routine; normalize the situation. For me PT and reading took me away from being "deployed"

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 8:04 AM

2016-12-14T08:04:36-05:00

When I was in Iraq, and I got off duty and I knew I was not going anywhere, I would get into some civilian clothes and either read or play on the Playstation.

Response by CH (LTC) Robert Leroe made Dec 14 at 2016 8:34 AM

2016-12-14T08:34:16-05:00

Desert Storm felt normal because of Schwartzkopf's strategy: "Train hard, go to war easy." We had to remind ourselves, "This is an operation, not an exercise." But with a lot more adrenaline.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 8:46 AM

2016-12-14T08:46:15-05:00

Thanksgiving dinner.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 8:55 AM

2016-12-14T08:55:07-05:00

My husband sent me some lawn seed and I grew some grass in a little plastic dish. It was nice to have green living plants to look at.

Response by SSG Steven Mangus made Dec 14 at 2016 8:58 AM

2016-12-14T08:58:43-05:00

My wife sent reef flip flops, the ones with the flasks built in, with Jim Beam..yes I know general order number 1, however a shot after a work week from hell made life tolerable..

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 9:16 AM

2016-12-14T09:16:24-05:00

watch movies on my computer and eat pop corn !!

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Dec 14 at 2016 9:22 AM

2016-12-14T09:22:24-05:00

Ran. First deployment I had zero time up at 0400 to the pay office input entitlements until 2000. Customer service in between inputs as well. This was before the Guard went more than 29 days. I believe we hit that mark and was glad it wasn't for the long haul. Zero time off and ground hogs day everyday. Second one I ran every morning before work. Still worked 14 to 16 hours a day but was not restricted to tent area.

Response by MSgt John Taylor made Dec 14 at 2016 10:16 AM

2016-12-14T10:16:59-05:00

Those familiar with Bagram know that Disney Ave was always busy with foot traffic. Walking at night down Disney always felt as if I were walking any crowded city street.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 10:23 AM

2016-12-14T10:23:00-05:00

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 10:32 AM

2016-12-14T10:32:00-05:00

On my last deployment a couple of us had down days on Friday so we'd hop on the Bagram bus over to Disney to hit the bazaar and the PX then get coffee and pizza hut. I also have a Red Sox hat and hoodie that have been to Iraq and Afghanistan with me.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Dec 14 at 2016 10:42 AM

2016-12-14T10:42:12-05:00

I did a little (or a lot at times) of what i did while at home. I fixed things, I worked on mechanical and electrical problems, equipment.. And if it did not need fixing I played with it till it did...lol
In Iraq, 2007 in the Triangle of Death, my company sized combined arms team took over an unused water treatment facility as a patrol base. On the facility was a 1 Megawatt US made power plant that had been damaged by small arms fire from insurgents. The back story was several times, others had tried to get it repaired and working so it could be used by the Iraqis in a future Iraq as needed infrastructure.
That powerplant had no relevance to our mission. But in the minutes between missions, patrols, and tasks a company 1SG performs in a unit like mine (i dont push paper well...I had to be in with the Soldiers..well except my tankers.. only went out with them when we forced them to patrol in HMMVW..lol)

I worked on the powerplant, I made calls to the US rep, found out they had flown in service parts and reps several times but missions kept getting scrubbed or folks blown up trying to get to the site.
I had the needed electrical panel, relays and other parts packaged and flown in. We serviced the diesel motor and when control panel parts came in, I installed, and fired up that powerplant. And somehow managed not to electrocute myself with a 1 Megawatt generator...

I did stuff like that, or automotive mechanical stuff... or personally took on the setup and wiring of our Gensets, power distribution systems... Purchased and installed AC units..ect ect ect.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 11:03 AM

2016-12-14T11:03:04-05:00

worked out at the gym, everyday, then cleaned up, and watched family guy on my computer until I slept, sometimes I would have a non alcoholic coors light, GO1

Response by SGT John Hogg made Dec 14 at 2016 1:36 PM

2016-12-14T13:36:54-05:00

Other than finding the best AC (the Gym, get big, 24/7 Gains) there were MWR activities that you were more inclined to go to when you weren't training. Getting to see my Uncle and shoot the shit at the DFAC, when we could both plan it out.
Find who had the latest good copy of a movie, and then pass it around like an STD until everyone had it.

Response by SrA Zo Evans Sr made Dec 14 at 2016 2:32 PM

2016-12-14T14:32:15-05:00

We made fake plants and grass out of paper and made fake gardens around the front of our tent. The beer rations helped to get some shuteye between bombing runs .

Response by LTC Greg Henning made Dec 14 at 2016 4:05 PM

2016-12-14T16:05:25-05:00

Run or gym everyday early in the morning was best for me

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 4:22 PM

2016-12-14T16:22:35-05:00

Not something I did, but my Team Leader did. She was very fond of her pink fuzzy slippers. If we were all back at the CHU's and I needed to locate her, I would normally find her in the smoke area wearing them.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 8:06 PM

2016-12-14T20:06:14-05:00

Played a ton of Magic. Chaplain got us a ton of those cards. At first, I was lost in the sauce. But as I got to playing more and more, I got hooked. Really helped pass the time.

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Dec 14 at 2016 8:27 PM

2016-12-14T20:27:36-05:00

I fired off some star clusters on the bunker line during the so called Christmas truce Dec. 1966,look a star rises in the East! also blew off a few claymores to celebrate my birthday.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2016 8:55 PM

2016-12-14T20:55:15-05:00

When we had the chance, we would pool our C rations and make some half way decent meals. On longer operations, we would have hot meals delivered by helicopter about once a week. Hard to beat milk and bread, along with hot food. Usually there were two soda or beers per man. Food was a welcome distraction.

Response by SGT Richard Anderson made Dec 14 at 2016 11:50 PM

2016-12-14T23:50:08-05:00

Had Thanksgiving dinner. Granted it was in the dark with a sandstorm blasting outside but it was a Thanksgiving dinner.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 2:24 AM

2016-12-15T02:24:18-05:00

We made a set of corn hole boards at FOB Salerno and played in the afternoon. Then on Sunday it was volleyball lol. Both were a good forget about the mission and just be human activity

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Dec 15 at 2016 9:33 AM

2016-12-15T09:33:28-05:00

I inherited an actual 'cot mattress' to place on top of my canvas cot's air mattress in Korea in 1955. I always claimed it was like sleeping on the contents of a brassiere.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Dec 15 at 2016 9:35 AM

2016-12-15T09:35:46-05:00

I was just talking about this yesterday. A couple times I went on Google street views and "walked" around my old neighborhood.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Dec 15 at 2016 10:02 AM

2016-12-15T10:02:00-05:00

I read a lot of books.

Response by PV2 Tess Armstrong made Dec 15 at 2016 10:16 AM

2016-12-15T10:16:44-05:00

Spending time with my brothers...we became family. Listening to music, watching movies and all the little things that made us..us

Response by SFC Joseph Weber made Dec 15 at 2016 11:18 AM

2016-12-15T11:18:30-05:00

Some of my happiest times were sitting under a tree, writing letters, eating twizzlers.

Response by MAJ David Wallace made Dec 15 at 2016 11:38 AM

2016-12-15T11:38:02-05:00

We had a tech savvy guy that got all our laptops on the same server. On off days, we'd cue up a game of Counterstrike and pummel each other with dirty fighting and ambushes.....A great stress reliever on a remote IraqI Army outpost!

Response by CPL William Anderson made Dec 15 at 2016 2:08 PM

2016-12-15T14:08:23-05:00

Definitely the Starbucks in Kuwait. That brief stop while flying in or out of Iraq. While inside that large Starbucks "trailer/building", and on the computer, you temporarily forget where you are. It was great!

Response by PO1 Dallas Shewmaker made Dec 15 at 2016 3:13 PM

2016-12-15T15:13:12-05:00

Every Christmas that I was deployed, my mother would send me a care package with baked goods. You know, cookies, brownies, candy bars, all that geedunk that was in rare supply while deployed. Included in that was rum bundt cake. I don't think it was her intent to make it so potent but she would soak that cake in 151 knowing that the mail was slow. Needless to say that the package was so well wrapped that NONE of the alcohol evaporated and because of the time it took to arrive, it would even ferment! Since I couldn't exactly keep the cake around, it usually meant sharing during some down time.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 4:27 PM

2016-12-15T16:27:38-05:00

Visiting the MWR center we had on our FOB and playing NCAA or Madden Football. Also watching the Alabama games there... Roll Tide!!!

Response by CW3 Matt Hutchason made Dec 15 at 2016 11:49 PM

2016-12-15T23:49:38-05:00

Salerno, 2003. The Italians were running the show. We had a 2 AH / 1 UH QRF along with an American Infantry platoon down there. We (the UH crew) did a covert midnight raid on the supply storage area where they had a pallet of Dr. Pepper. We had an elaborate range of bird calls that meant different things. The mission was to score as much Dr. Pepper as possible. An hour of loud laughter and almost getting caught red handed 5 times, we scored huge. No more 1 can per meal for us. Lol. One of the funniest things I have ever been involved in, and mad is feel like total normal Americans.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Dec 15 at 2016 11:59 PM

2016-12-15T23:59:24-05:00

I always took my bedroom slippers wherever I went. Wore a bunch of them out, but always just kept wearing the current pair. Only hitch was when my dentist roommate, Ray, hot glued my slippers to the deck while I was in the shower. Ripped right through them. Only interruption in an otherwise 32 year slipper fest. And Ray, oh yeah, I got more than even.....

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2016 11:20 AM

2016-12-16T11:20:07-05:00

While I was overseas we had some wood and tools at our disposal so I was able to build a table for our CHU and a few other odds and ends.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2016 8:46 PM

2016-12-16T20:46:42-05:00

On my last pump on Okinawa in 95 I'd have Pizza Friday. There was a regular stove in the Mamasan's Area on third deck of the Q. I'd pick up the cheapo Totino's 99 cent frozen pizza at commissary ever week along with some cheese and toppings. After preheating oven I'd go back to room about 10 doors down the hall and start with the fixins. Then I'd take it back to oven and go back to room and crack a Kirin beer. About 12 minutes later it was time to go fetch it. I guess other cellmates smelled it but after the first few weeks I'd always have a few sticking their heads out of their hatch to watch as I ceremoniously paraded the pie at port arms down the hall. We often made home-made pizza as a family on Friday nights at home, so it was a way to feel almost at home, fill my belly, and have an excuse to down a cold beer. Then Saturday and Sunday I'd put in about 10 miles a day and get squared away for another fun-filled week on The Rock. Repeat process 51 more times and Freedom Bird here I come for my ride back to the Land of the Big PX.

Response by SCPO Charles Hamilton made Dec 16 at 2016 11:02 PM

2016-12-16T23:02:37-05:00

Friday was my day off and I would go to the Haji shop and buy a movie and then swing over to the Pizza Hut and get a Meat lovers pizza and stay in my pod and veg out!

Response by MAJ Karen Wall made Dec 18 at 2016 10:05 PM

2016-12-18T22:05:00-05:00

Someone had managed to put up a Baskin Robbins at the exchange in Eskan Village in Riyadh. A bunch of us went over there one day and just had ice cream!

Response by SCPO Don Baker made Dec 20 at 2016 7:15 AM

2016-12-20T07:15:40-05:00

As much time as I spent at sea, I never went outside on the first day (if possible) of getting underway. I got use to the sounds and movement of the ship and then things just fell into place. Now, as a ground pounder, don't know.

Response by SSgt Jennifer Stafford made Dec 20 at 2016 8:25 AM

2016-12-20T08:25:42-05:00

We were on an ISAF base, and the Canadians built a makeshift hockey rink. They played pickup games a lot, so I actually kinda got to watch live hockey.

Response by SSG Casey Madden made Dec 20 at 2016 8:45 AM

2016-12-20T08:45:04-05:00

During DS after the shooting was dun made a run to KKMC stopped at the PX and wrote a check got back to my humvee and it hit awesome fee feeling just kinda washed over me NICE!!!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2016 9:32 AM

2016-12-20T09:32:24-05:00

Normal? If spending an off duty day at the fast food kiosks at Balad was considered normal than that is what I did. Wasn't a PT rat, never got into the online gaming or movies and reading was just a way to kill time and escape reality.

Response by SFC David Davenport made Dec 20 at 2016 10:10 AM

2016-12-20T10:10:52-05:00

Friday night movie night. My last deployment I had 4 Soldiers that were part of my team. As the deployment went on it grew to over 100 people. IOT to keep team cohesion and morale I instituted a mandatory movie watching at 2000. All four members of the team had to be present and we rotated movie picks. Picks could not be vetoed which led to some interesting choices. The policy worked create and I encourage others to do something to keep everyone's mental state in good shape during deployments.

Response by Capt Tf Sinclair made Dec 20 at 2016 10:24 AM

2016-12-20T10:24:15-05:00

I carried my kilts on every deployment.. Seeing the plaids and wearing them off duty kept my head straight.

Response by SGT Allison Churchill made Dec 20 at 2016 10:27 AM

2016-12-20T10:27:30-05:00

I kept my toenails painted bright colors, usually a shimmery red.

And I loved Latin night, if the MWR had one. It still delights me to tell people I learned to dance salsa in Iraq.

Response by SFC Mitch Mobus made Dec 20 at 2016 10:56 AM

2016-12-20T10:56:55-05:00

For me, tactical was a way of life. So to me, deployed was my normal. It was my strategic assignments that messed with me. I enjoyed supporting tactical units because it afforded me opportunities to interact with others that were wearing "similar t-shirts."

Response by MAJ Seth Goldstein made Dec 20 at 2016 11:06 AM

2016-12-20T11:06:53-05:00

Take a ride down to VBC where my good friend was stationed with Seal Team 5. We smoked Cuban cigars and drank Morgan and cokes. I wouldn't recommend violating GO#1 but it was one of my best memories.

Response by PO2 Rev. Frederick C. Mullis, AFI, CFM made Dec 20 at 2016 12:12 PM

2016-12-20T12:12:59-05:00

Well this may be alien to most here since all are talking about the sand box, I am way to old to have experienced it. My two places of respite were when flight ops were going on whether on the Enterprise during my time in Vietnam or afterwards on the Nimitz, was up in the Chappel. reasonably quiet, I could study the WORD or just listen. my other place when we were not flying would be on the forward port catwalk where I could see the bow of the ship cutting through the water. Sometimes the Dolphins would play in front of the ship, letting the pressure wave push them through the water, During Vietnam, if we were close in you could see the Air Strikes hitting their targets or the Artillery lighting up the sky. The roar of the water being pushed aside by 93,000+ tons of a Beautiful Lady cruising at 15 to 20 knots. Feeling her vibration caused by her four shafts spinning her four five bladed screws. It was her pulse, feeling her live. Knowing I was a part of Her, and especially while on the Enterprise knowing I was part of The LEGEND.
Yes it may be strange to some but being second generation NAVY, A NAVY Brat, That made me feel Normal...

Response by SSG Hank Ortega made Dec 20 at 2016 12:34 PM

2016-12-20T12:34:31-05:00

Mine was a long time before the majority of these posts.
since I spent months in the field, with minimal comforts, one thing I made sure I did was to bathe daily. A simple ritual. As expressed by a friend "just because we are in the jungle doesn't mean we have to be animals."
Whether it was using freshly washed spare socks as a wash cloth and hitting the important spots, or actually dipping in a river or stream, that simple process made the day bearable.

Response by LTC Martin Metz made Dec 20 at 2016 3:00 PM

2016-12-20T15:00:22-05:00

When we were at our CFLCC C9 office at Camp Arifjan, we kept morale up by decorating the cubicle areas with season themed decorations and maintained Civil Affairs hospitality. It wasn't a big thing, but remembering Halloween, Christmas, hometown NFL games, etc helped count the time off and kept us connected with home. Some of our folks were really creative. It didn't hurt that we also had the edge on soda and snack sales as well as keeping the coffee pot on all day. Folks from other staffs drifted through and the social interaction and scuttlebutt sharing was great for everyone.

Response by CW4 Chad Balwanz made Dec 20 at 2016 3:09 PM

2016-12-20T15:09:00-05:00

I took my guitar and would find a quiet place to practice. It was just me and my guitar providing me a get away and take my mind off the realities of deployments.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Dec 20 at 2016 4:02 PM

2016-12-20T16:02:11-05:00

I put a white shower curtain on the wall and watched movies with my projected attached to a DVD player

Response by MSgt Bill Rentz made Dec 20 at 2016 5:22 PM

2016-12-20T17:22:02-05:00

I always took a quilt my sister had made me when I first joined in 1979. (Go ahead and make the blanky jokes!) After I had kids they would each give me a stuffed animal to keep me company...and I had to give it back upon my return. To keep busy on deployment I did a lot of reading, taught some ESL, community projects, etc. Went through a lot of hand lotion. (It was really dry in the desert!)

Response by MSgt Ronnie Kelly made Dec 20 at 2016 6:29 PM

2016-12-20T18:29:09-05:00

Used sandbags, a plastic pallet cover and a pump from and made a "hot tub" to while away the time only downer, only NA beer.

Response by MSgt Ronnie Kelly made Dec 20 at 2016 6:30 PM

2016-12-20T18:30:46-05:00

correction:motor and pump from old washing machine

Response by CPL Sharon Fahey made Dec 20 at 2016 11:11 PM

2016-12-20T23:11:47-05:00

Went into the gulf on an Army boat. Felt like a vacation, even with the 50cals. Loved it.

Response by SGT Stanley Bass made Dec 21 at 2016 9:49 AM

2016-12-21T09:49:25-05:00

Was stationed in Sinop Turkey, and got to do a lot of travelling an seeing the country of Turkey. Was stationed in Sinop. My favorite story from there though, was the day I started clearing. I walked across the street to clear the base commander, and walked back across the street to my office. My E-7 says, bass don't start clearing yet we went to war (Desert Storm).

Response by SSgt Michael Cox made Dec 21 at 2016 11:21 AM

2016-12-21T11:21:59-05:00

While at Camp Anaconda/Ballad the Navy wired our little spec ops compound with Ethernet and Xbox's so we could play SOCOM against each other. Playing against the Aircrew, other Mechanics, Admin was fine, playing against the Teams not so much.

Response by SSG Gregory Robideau made Dec 22 at 2016 2:25 PM

2016-12-22T14:25:18-05:00

NFL football.

Response by SFC Helyn Stowe made Dec 22 at 2016 6:30 PM

2016-12-22T18:30:06-05:00

Gym Time..Always worked out at home side. Made sure I had gym time when on deployment

Response by SPC Douglas Bolton made Dec 23 at 2016 3:22 PM

2016-12-23T15:22:37-05:00

In Korea, we had a Quonset hut dog named Skosh. She made us all feel like home. It is rare to have a dog in Korea. That is because dog meat was such a delicacy in there. Somehow Skosh got pregnant. She had her pups, but while we slept she moved them out of the hut. She was gone for several days. When she came back she was alone. We figured all her babies were taken from her in the village.

Response by SPC David Willis made Dec 23 at 2016 4:30 PM

2016-12-23T16:30:43-05:00

Talk to my wife.

Response by Cpl Dennis F. made Dec 25 at 2016 6:16 PM

2016-12-25T18:16:46-05:00

Go trick or treating in the Ville while on patrol. My mom always send a holiday box for my guys. (masks and a large plastic pumpkin bucket) It was also pretty surreal!

Response by 1SG Billye Jackson made Dec 26 at 2016 11:16 AM

2016-12-26T11:16:01-05:00

On my Tour of Vietnam Nothing I did made me feel Normal. lol

Response by SPC Douglas Bolton made Dec 26 at 2016 1:36 PM

2016-12-26T13:36:41-05:00

We had a Quonset Hut dog named Skosh in Korea. She had no favorites. She sat in everyone's lap. I loved dogs, and I left my dog Sandy back in the states. Helped me a lot to have Skosh around.

Response by CPL Hugh Hicks made Dec 28 at 2016 11:04 PM

2016-12-28T23:04:41-05:00

Took the gator muddin'

Response by LTC Gail Daras made Dec 29 at 2016 11:58 AM

2016-12-29T11:58:49-05:00

When I was deployed in Western Sahara, Africa my mom mailed me additional items for Thanksgiving. The US Army shipped in turkeys but she sent me stuffing and cranberries and other items and I assisted the Morrocan cooks with preparing the meal that night. I remember a Russian officer who could not understand why a turkey took so long to cook. I guess there are not turkeys in Russia.

Response by Sgt Larry Megert made Dec 29 at 2016 5:08 PM

2016-12-29T17:08:30-05:00

1968 Viet Nam: We had an outdoor theater. We had first run films. Felt like back home. USO women would come around to our base and talk to us about home.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 24 at 2017 9:15 AM

2017-01-24T09:15:50-05:00

Gaming and oddly enough, PRT. We had a communal PS3 and whenever I could get some time on it, everything else would sort of fade away. Final Fantasy XIII will always remind me of my first deployment.

As far as PRT goes. When given the time to do PT on my own, I started doing PRT regularly. When I had the full extent of my down time and really focused on doing it to standard, it was surprising how great the results were. Got one of the highest APFT scores of my military career over there. Even won our Commander's PT Challenge event (for lower enlisted category since I was a Specialist at the time)

Response by LCpl Stephen Arnold made Jan 24 at 2017 1:22 PM

2017-01-24T13:22:33-05:00

This is not the proper forum for that question to be truthfully answered (as a retiree am I still covered by UCMJ?)

Response by TSgt John Senior made Feb 1 at 2017 2:31 AM

2017-02-01T02:31:31-05:00

Have coffee at Beantree's and Tim Hortons in KAF and read the news paper.

Response by Sgt Douglas Austin made Feb 8 at 2017 9:59 AM

2017-02-08T09:59:19-05:00

I played basketball and worked out!

Response by SFC Michael Peterson made Feb 8 at 2017 10:20 AM

2017-02-08T10:20:23-05:00

If I had wanted "normal", I wouldn't have joined the Army.

Response by SPC Robin Price-Dirks made Feb 9 at 2017 12:29 PM

2017-02-09T12:29:02-05:00

It was my 21st birthday and we were down range at 29 Palms, in the middle of the desert. We were not allowed to go in to ANY of the facilities for any reason. The ladies that I worked with said we have some parts we need to turn in to exchange and the guy making the mail run is going to take us and he will get us some cold sodas on the way back. We all jumped in and took off, those very sweet girls knew it was my birthday and had begged the mail clerk to take us in. When we stopped for "sodas" they had arranged to get burgers, fries, sodas and a "cake" of twinkies. Best surprise birthday party I ever had. Best of all no one ratted us out. I really miss them......

Response by SPC Thomas Mitchell made Feb 9 at 2017 2:30 PM

2017-02-09T14:30:56-05:00

I wasn't deployed to a war zone but while stationed in Brussels Belgium, we (Army MP's) played football with the Marines from the Embassy. It was funny seeing the looks on the peoples face as we played.

Response by Sgt Larry Megert made Feb 9 at 2017 2:55 PM

2017-02-09T14:55:21-05:00

South of Da Nang, Vietnam 1968. Picking up a rebuilt generator at a base I don't remember we discovered a Quonset Hut that the mess made doughnuts. Ate hot doughnuts and brought a bag back for the other guys.

Response by SPC Shawn Nelson made Feb 9 at 2017 6:27 PM

2017-02-09T18:27:07-05:00

I met a Romanian gal on VBC just outside Baghdad, Iraq and fell hard for her. Haha

Response by 2LT Earl Dean made Feb 10 at 2017 1:52 AM

2017-02-10T01:52:27-05:00

I used leave my sleeping bag laid out in my hooch and had an old towel next to bed laid out with things like shaving gear laid out along with canteen cup and pictures of wife and child.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Feb 11 at 2017 12:12 AM

2017-02-11T00:12:28-05:00

We hit golf balls by the dozen into lost lake...

Response by SFC George Smith made Feb 11 at 2017 12:34 AM

2017-02-11T00:34:11-05:00

had a Beer...

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 11 at 2017 1:53 AM

2017-02-11T01:53:48-05:00

go to the gym and work out and listen to loud music on my MP3. eat Doritos and dr. Pepper as a snack. being able to watch CNN and Fox News in the dining facility while eating Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate muffins. any ability to talk to my wife an Afghan cell phone made it surreal to me even though there was Taliban a few miles away.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2017 8:21 AM

2017-02-12T08:21:48-05:00

When I was in Afghanistan, the only normal thing that made it feel like home was mail, getting to go to KAF PX when ever we visited from our Patrol Base walking around the boardwalk, and going to the gym. In Korea, I FaceTime with my wife and we Have "family/date night" by eating the same type of food and streaming the same movie to watch together. It's the little things that count and doing this makes her feel admired as it shows appreciation. For her and I, this makes it a little easier and makes it feel normal to a certain extent.

Response by LTC Orlando Illi made Apr 29 at 2017 11:24 AM

2017-04-29T11:24:24-04:00

TOOK A SHOWER ......

Response by MSgt Mark Bucher made Apr 29 at 2017 11:26 AM

2017-04-29T11:26:10-04:00

I always tried to get into a routine as soon as I could once I arrived down range. Get up at the same time, go to chow the same time, try to get to bed the same time. Helped make the time go by. Biggest problem for me was dealing with the boredom. Hell, even the mortar attacks were almost a routine. Going out on patrol, on convoy runs, flying, everything we did down range, it all became routine. The constant edge I felt, the awareness, the adrenaline all became part of the routine of life in Iraq or Afghanistan. The biggest adjustment was coming back home.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Apr 29 at 2017 5:27 PM

2017-04-29T17:27:15-04:00

It is highly tied to how good or bad you have it.

In OIF I would leave the CP for about an hour. I would do PT or wash clothes in a bucket. Towards the end we built a shower out of a 400gal water pod on top of a container. We dug a sump. We got gravel and filled the sump. We erected double camo net over it. You couldn't see in. We had paver stones you stood on so you could take off the flip flops. It was sun heated. So you need to wait until dusk to shower at risk of being blanched. That following ten minutes was the best you felt for the next couple days.

Afghanistan in 2008-09 it was going to the base construction meeting. I was away from the TOC. I was unplugged from radio, TACSAT, BFT, CPOF, and questions. I would leave that meeting and either get lunch at the "other" DFAC, get coffee at the old Green Beans, or just wander the PX for 15 minutes with no purpose. I also worked redeployment on Sundays so we would be ready. About once a week we had our A Co drop a water pallet next to the TOC. We would do a bucket Brigade passing drill with th BN HQ team and restock the TOC. It was 10minutes of activity where you felt like something happened that was positive and reminded everyone that we were a team.

In 2011 I was at ISAF HQ. The ISAF compound is barely two city blocks. Island fever set in. Towards the end, We plugged in a half day off for everyone in current ops. It doesn't sound like much, but man, doing nothing for half a day recharged your battery. Working current ops, having to handle what ever disasters befell the alliance that day. It blew. We also had a few rituals to offset 18hour days. We would either: walk to Camp Eggers on Sunday morning for a big 'Merica breakfast instead of the NATO anemic breakfast; or we would get a greasy cheeseburger at the Milano. A few times we walked to Eggers for Steak Night. We stopped doing that because everyone in Kabul seemed to do that too. Was waiting to get rocketed while standing around. We would walk across the street to the British PX (NAFI) and get coffee for like 15 minutes in the afternoon. It was just a break in the monotony of the ground hog day of ISAF HQ. I also tried to work out time with my roommate in the CHU so we would have the place to ourselves for an hour for Skype etc. we also did the bucket Brigade with bottled water into the JOC. It brought in other parts of the staff we sometimes had friction with. Broke down some barriers and spurred good conversations for the mission.

Response by LTC Martin Metz made May 26 at 2017 10:22 AM

2017-05-26T10:22:48-04:00

This is written from a civilian perspective, but just sift out terms that don't apply and consider. "we’ve long been conditioned to believe that a good work ethic is synonymous with a gritty, grinding style of professionalism, where the optimal results spring from long hours of hard work and discipline. But recently, experience has told us otherwise, as startups embrace mantras like “work smarter, not harder,” as a way of re-engineering productivity."
https://www.theladders.com/p/20101/office-hacks-productivity

office-hacks-productivity

Response by MAJ Donald Kaufman made Jun 2 at 2017 7:26 PM

2017-06-02T19:26:57-04:00

Go to the USEMB and have a cold beverage.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2018 2:11 PM

2018-03-22T14:11:00-04:00

Walked back from recovering our helos in Bagram, lit up a cigar, then had some vacuum-sealed white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and joined the peanut gallery while some of my airmen played a Call of Duty tournament in the ready room. It was essentially like college, but with more bullets and less booze.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2018 2:31 PM

2018-03-22T14:31:23-04:00

Playing soccer in Iraq with Local Nationals and Third Country Nationals. MWR sponsored a league that was quite realistic considering we played on rock-laden pitch. Good memories.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 22 at 2018 10:00 PM

2018-03-22T22:00:28-04:00

Another pretty fun one was a buddy and me went in on a 34 inch flatscreen, and I ordered Rock Band for PS3 on Amazon. (Yes, they delivered to Bagram, crazy.) We took down on of the walls in our b-hut and made the double room into a "common area" We set up the two beds as a couch and built a stand with some wood we... found... We rocked the whole deployment. I was pretty good on the drums. Our E-7 would play bass, and my other buddy was decent on guitar. Pissed off another E- 6 that everyone hated because he worked a different shift. Our E-7 told him to shut up and sleep with his headphones on. He eventually left for warrant school so whatever. Good times.

Response by Sgt John Earley made Mar 22 at 2018 10:08 PM

2018-03-22T22:08:50-04:00

I was on camp Hanson on Okinawa back in 69....i loved it.
I went all over the Hanson side of the Island...we had a communication bivouac way out in the middle of no were land, but one day I went walking around out there by myself and found all kinds of goody stuff, like little caves that when they had to war there, this was were they laid killed....i mean there were a lot of skeletons....almost like mass of Graves .
But I had fun on Okinawa...i talked to lot's of the locals, even though they talked their own language, i understood most of what they were telling me....and what i didnt understand, it came out alright on the end...im saying, im a wonder, been doing it all my life. I love it, it's given me a wonder in life....i wasn't boring.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2020 12:27 PM

2020-09-01T12:27:18-04:00

Telling a First Lieutenant that no I won’t salute him in a combat zone.